For the Athlon Argos BTR review I wanted to make sure I did it right. This scope has had some unbelievable popularity since it released.

And for good reason. It’s hard to believe Athlon actually pulled off packing as many features as they did into a scope for under $400.

ED Glass, FFP, Christmas Tree Reticle, Illuminated Reticle. Some said it couldn’t be done, Athlon said NAY!

This is probably one of the best scopes for people who are either:

Looking for a budget build (under $1000 for the entire gun and setup)

Just getting started in PRS/shooting in general

It’s not the quality of the Ares (BTR or ETR) so trust me I’m not going to try to sell you on that.

But for the price, this is one hell of a scope. Not only is it packed with features, the features live up to the hype.

1000 yards used to be something people just talked about, the shot we only saw the most hard core and incredibly dedicated men and women hitting.

But scopes like the Argos BTR are making it possible for the hobbyist to hit steel at 1000.

Now, before you tell me how incredibly difficult that is, I know. I know it’s difficult, and you need actual skill to be able to do it. ARES ETR Riflescope

My point is that you no longer need to invest $2000 in a scope that can take you out that far. You can spend less than a grand on the entire gun build and get a combo that can get you there.

Bottom line, if you’re looking for a budget build that has the potential to hit 1000, or if you’re new to the sport and want a low priced but high quality optic to cut your teeth on, the Argos BTR won’t disappoint.

Athlon Argos BTR

I’ve talked about the Argos BTR in some of the other reviews, like the Ares ETR. But those glimpses into this scopes capabilities did it no justice.

The Argos BTR reflects Athlon’s commitment to making a high quality rifle scope for a low price. And it is a testament to their ability to control the manufacturing process in a way that makes this possible.

Let’s back up a bit.

If you didn’t know, Athlon is making a name for themselves as the manufacturer of high quality optics for a low price. The Ares ETR is by far one of the best rifle scopes for the money. But those who don’t want to spend $1200 should take a closer look at the Argos BTR.

Because there is a difference between what we deem a “good rifle scope” :

Good rifle scope for the money

Good rifle scope

Now, the Ares ETR is a “hell of a rifle scope” both for the money and just in general. The Argos BTR is a good rifle scope, not just for the money, but in general.

All of these features you would typically expect on a scope of $800-$1200 easily. But Athlon said F**k it, I’m putting it on an optic for under $400. And I’m going to do it without sacrificing much of the quality.

I said much on purpose. Because I don’t want you to think that you’re going to be getting an Ares ETR. The Argos BTR simply isn’t that.

The glass isn’t as clear, it doesn’t track as well, and some other things will make the ETR worth that extra $800 you spend on it.

But like I mentioned in the intro, this is an optic you can use to learn the game, or put on a budget build that you still want to hit 1000 yards with.

Which was Athlon’s goal from the start. Side parallax adjustment, FFP reticles along with HD glass makes this scope easy to adjust to different distances and calculate holdovers with.

Newbies to PRS will find it easy to learn on, because the reticle isn’t incredibly complicated. Budget builders will find it feature rich and easy to use when hunting ground squirrels, shooting steel or whatever it is they bought the budget build for.

Let’s take a look at the features and stack them up next to a $2000 scope just to see how it holds up, shall we?

That’s great for a scope under $400. Like really great actually. The Razor is one of the most feature rich scopes on the market, and the only scope to beat it so far in our tests in the Ares ETR.

So for a company to drop a line of scopes for under $400 that come that close to something that high quality, that is saying something!

And not only does it have those features, they hold up pretty well. To the right is a picture of my own personal Argos, and the one that we have been using for the tests. Very few dings and scratches.

The Parallax knob performs flawlessly, and it starts at 10 yards which is not very common. I zeroed it in 4 shots, and set the zero stop after that.

One note is that the zero stop is not a “true” zero stop, i.e. like on the Ares or the Razor. This is why I gave it a 3/4 on the Zero Stop feature. You have to manually go in and set the zero with the washers they provide.

Tracking Score

If there is one quality that Athlon scopes have impressed me with over the past couple of reviews, it’s their tracking. From the Ares BTR to the Midas HMR, these scopes have consistently turned out superior tracking results.

Making a scope that tracks well is one of the more complicated parts of the manufacturing process, which makes it more expensive to make the scope en masse. So when you come across a cheap scope, you tend to get what you pay for in the tracking department and the optical clarity department.

Optical Quality Score

This is the area where the Argos kind of let me down a little bit. By no means was the optical clarity score crappy, but it wasn’t spectacular, let’s just put it like that.

Scopes tend to get a little fuzzy at the max magnifications they go to. So if you get the 8-34x56mm model, the clarity will be better.

All of that said, this is still a great score for a scope under $400. The parallax adjustment helps a lot, which is not a common feature under $400. And the Argos BTR definitely outscores the majority of scopes out there for the same price point.

Final Score And Conclusion

Overall, the Argos BTR gets a 607.64/748 points which is 81.23%, a solid B. Which I think is very reflective of the scope after using it for quite some time.

It’s not a Razor HD, it’s not an Ares ETR or BTR, and it’s not a US Optics B-17. It is a Good Scope, and a Good Scope For The Money.

It comes with some very impressive features for a scope in it’s price range, and based on my impressions and these tests, it seems to lead the market in the price range it falls in. Keep in mind, I have not performed the same tests on the other scopes within the Argos price range though. Elite Tactical Reticle Riflescope

Overall, this is a great scope I recommend buying for those looking for a budget scope and those who are just getting into shooting and want to cut their teeth. The multitude of features gives you a lot of value for the money and let’s you learn how to use things like parallax and zero stops without investing too heavily in the optic.